SEGUIN, Texas – With one out in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s seven-inning duel between Texas Lutheran and Mary Hardin-Baylor, UMHB’s Tyler Martin stepped to the plate and lined a 3-2 pitch to the gap in right center field.
Riley Bender, standing on first base after his second hit of the evening, sprinted for home, scoring easily and cutting the TLU lead to a single run, 5-4. Martin, exhibiting his top-level speed, reached third base on the play, setting up J.C. Hughes for a game-tying RBI situation in the next at-bat. A long flyball from Hughes, or better yet a base hit, would score Martin from third, tying the game and putting UMHB right back in contention.
But Hughes never got that chance. TLU’s coaching staff appealed the play, arguing that Martin did not touch first base as he turned the corner and headed for second. The umpiring crew agreed, calling Martin out in what turned out to be perhaps the game’s most pivotal moment. Despite protests from UMHB head coach Mike Stawski, there was no move to reverse the call. UMHB’s momentum was erased, and its runner 90 feet from home plate was sent to the dugout.
It was the last time UMHB put a runner on base with fewer than two outs. Hughes grounded out to end the sixth, and while The Cru loaded the bases in the seventh, still trailing 5-4, it came with two outs. A sharp ground ball to third base off the bat of Alejandro Sanchez III was fielded cleanly, as Brayden Sprencel stepped on third for the game-ending force out.
TLU emerged with the one-run victory, moving to a perfect 4-0. UMHB, who swept its season-opening series at Austin College, took its first loss, dropping to 3-1. While scheduled to be a doubleheader, the threat of poor weather in the area canceled Game 2.
The Cru took the game’s first lead in the opening frame, as third baseman Riley Bender—who finished 2-for-3 at the plate—made contact with the first pitch he saw in the game’s fourth at-bat. He drove the ball deep over the right center field wall at Katt-Isbel Field, putting UMHB in front, 2-0, on a two-run homer that also scored Sanchez III.
TLU evened the score an inning later, taking advantage of the first of three UMHB errors on the day. Tyler Helpenstill’s single to left field scored Adam Peavy easily from third, and as Crusader left fielder Carson Hagan readied himself to field the bouncing ball and make a throw to the plate, the ball got past his glove. It went down as an error, allowing Caleb Small to score from second, though in truth, Small wasn’t stopping for anything. Even with an on-the-mark throw home from Hagan, Small would’ve made it a contested play at the plate.
Hughes then delivered the lead back to The Cru once more in the fourth, driving in Sanchez III, who had stolen second base and advanced to third on a passed ball after a base hit to open the inning. It marked Hughes’ second RBI of his collegiate career, as the two-out single from the freshman gave UMHB a 3-2 advantage.
TLU took back the lead in the bottom of that same inning, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Xavier Arias and Cooper Jen. The kicker? Both runs were scored with two outs, after starter James McGlumphy retired Small and Sprencel on groundouts to open the inning. Two-out hitting was the story of the day for TLU, however, as the Bulldogs went 5-for-11 (.455) in at-bats with two outs.
In fact, TLU’s fifth-inning insurance run was set up by a two-out single from Sprencel that put runners on first and third, and led to delayed steal of home from Small. Sprencel took off for second before McGlumphy could deliver a two-strike pitch to Helpenstill, and McGlumphy, alerted of the base-stealer, quickly stepped off the mound and fired a throw to second base. It allowed Small just enough time to dash home from third and slide headfirst ahead of the throw to the plate.
Game Notes
- UMHB is now 3-7 in its last 10 matchups against TLU. The Cru and Bulldogs will meet again in Belton on March 12 in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
- The Cru had opportunities with runners in scoring position, but went just 2-of-7 in at-bats with runners on second or third, and 3-of-11 with runners on base.
- Bender finished as the lone contributor in the UMHB lineup with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. The senior infielder has recorded three straight games with multiple hits and 13 multi-hit games in his two-year UMHB career.
- The Cru has hit at least one home run in three of its first four contests in 2025, and currently leads the ASC in homers (5).
- UMHB has opened its season with four consecutive road games for the first time since 2019. That has happened just three times in the last decade (2017, 2019, 2025), with The Cru’s 3-1 record this year being the best amongst those three four-game season-opening stretches.
- While he allowed four earned runs in his second start of 2025, James McGlumphy struck out five TLU batters, marking his third consecutive start (going back to last season) with at least five strikeouts.
Up Next
UMHB continues its season on the road next Tuesday, facing former ASC foe Concordia (TX), as the Tornados enter their first season in the SCAC. That contest will be played on Concordia’s campus in Austin, with a 6 p.m. first pitch. The Tornados are 4-2 overall, set to face Schreiner in SCAC play this coming weekend.
